Inevitable Gravity
by Victorian Asylum
Summary: "Liara doesn't know what to make of the Commander. She was impossibly large, seeming to occupy the entire horizon. A pale scar stretched across the dark skin of her face, starting from a solid jaw and ending just below the line of closely cropped hair. The woman was intimidating, or, should be. Except she was smiling." / Or, Liara's slow process of falling in love. Set in ME1.


Liara didn't know what to make of the Commander.

Her contact with and knowledge of humans had been limited. The only times she had spent in contact with them, it's always been at dig sites. And kind hearted archeologists only after data and knowledge were a completely different breed then a soldier that has shot her way through an army of geth to pursue a rogue Spectre. And the woman before her is unlike any human Liara has ever known. She was impossibly large, seeming to occupy the entire horizon, standing more than a head taller than everyone in the room. A pale scar stretched across the dark skin of her face, starting from a solid jaw and ending just below the line of closely cropped hair. Liara swallowed nervously. The woman was intimidating. Or, she should be, except that her hazel eyes were warm, and she was smiling as she spoke. Her hands engulfed Liara's arms where she held on lightly to Liara's biceps as she regained her footing, but they were reassuring, a feeling Liara sorely missed when she pulled away.

She didn't quite know she was going or why she had been rescued. A series of explosions that shook the walls around them interrupted the soldier's explanation. But she trusted the woman, for some intangible reason. The Commander seemed solid, and true to her word, and Liara believed that such a kind soul would never aim to harm her. As quickly as she settled on a summation of the Commander's persona, her position immediately shifted when a krogan warlord sought a battle. Liara had never seen anyone fight with such cold ferocity before. The commander tore through the geth and the krogan in mere minutes, a seemingly unstoppable force of carnage. They never stood a chance.

Outside the collapsed digsite, while they waited for rendezvous, Liara made sure to stand a safe distance away as she caught her breath. She maintained this distance as they boarded the starship, shoulders stiff, wary of all the stares thrown her way as she walked throughout the place, and only began to relax when the Commander directed her to a comm room and instructed her to wait before turning on her heels and disappearing. Liara took a seat, crossing her legs, drumming her fingers as she waited. Surely this must be a briefing, not an interrogation? Her mind wanders to darker placed. Or a torture session? She clung to that hope, and her spirits rose as people- members of the crew, no doubt- filed in. They fixed her with all manner with stares, some curious, some wary, even a mix of hostility. They wonder if she will be an asset, what good could bringing an archeologist aboard possibly do. They were sizing her up. And it was very uncomfortable.

Everyone snapped to attention as the Commander entered the room. By the goddess was she massive. Stripped of her armor, which made her seem smaller, if such a thing were possible, she was easily the biggest human Liara had ever seen. Probably the biggest person on the ship, save for the krogan skulking below decks Liara had heard word of. In military slacks now, Liara could fully appreciate the power locked inside the woman's muscular frame. Tattoos, indecipherable from this distance, lined her forearms where the sleeves were rolled up. She looked less like an officer and more like a mercenary, a hardened criminal. When she walked over, footsteps shaking the ground, Liara did her best not to flinch.

"My apologies, Dr. T'Soni." The Commander extended a hand. "I didn't get to introduce myself down there. I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy. Council Spectre, too, so you can take your pick."

Liara blinked in surprise and took the offered hand, which seemed to dwarf her own. It was scarred and calloused, grip strong and sure, but it was warm and so was her smile. "It is alright, Commander. There was... a lot going on."

Shepard laughed loudly. "I suppose I should also apologize for destroying your digsite too. Things have a habit of blowing up around me, I've come to learn."

"There is no need to apologize. You saved my life. I should be thanking you."

Shepard waved her hand dismissively. "How 'bout we call it even? Now, we were interrupted before, so I never had the chance to explain our mission here."

The Commander handed her a datapad and Liara scrolled through it while Shepard listed off why they were here, who they were after and what they knew. It wasn't much, by the sounds of it, but Liara would have her hands full researching everything so she could be fully equipped. She couldn't tell from this point if her biotics were desired, or her knowledge on Protheans or the fact that she was Benezia's daughter. But she supposed it didn't really matter. From the overview she received, it was clear Saren needed to be stopped, and it she could help, she gladly would in any capacity. After the briefing Shepard gave her a tour of the Normandy, of protocols and time tables and exactly what clockwork fashion the military ship functioned. She met the pilot, crewman, and even some of the aliens Shepard had recruited. They all greeted her warmly, or, in the krogan's case, as warmly as a krogan could, and the fact that all seemed comfortable around this mountain of a woman eased some of Liara's worries.

"Is there any place you would prefer to stay?" Shepard asked, as the tour wound down.

"Someplace out of the way, perhaps." Liara answered in a measured tone. "If at all possible."

"The Medbay, then. In the back there's a small storage room. You'll get Dr. Chakwas running through on occasion for supplies, but I think you two will get along just fine. Other than that, it should be quiet."

"Thank you, Commander."

Once at the Medbay, Shepard left her to settle in, informing her that dinner would be in a few hours, if she had any desire to eat. Liara sat on one of the crates and put her head in her hands. It was all rather overwhelming, and truth be told she felt faint. Crowds had never been her forte. She preferred studies and books to parties and people. At first, all the people she worked with during excavations had been overwhelming, but she grew accustomed to them over time, enjoyed their company. That was a classroom compared to the hustle and bustle of the Normandy, a small city in it's own right. Unwilling to bother Dr. Chakwas, Liara sat there until she felt well enough to stand. She spent the rest of the day setting up a small terminal from which she could work. The next day, while Shepard and a small group were out on a mission, instead of gathering helpful information, she researched the Commander.

The knowledge was interesting, but nothing immensely helpful. It told where she came from, but not necessarily who she was. And orphan on the streets who found solace in the Tenth Street Reds, a gang now notorious for being xenophobic. A few years after enlisting she was caught on Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz and became a hero. That tidbit piqued Liara's interest. The news of the event had trickled down to one of her dig sites while she was working. She never put two and two together until now.

No, she truly learned about Shepard when they began to go on missions. Small at first, likely testing her mettle, they grew, until she was involved in quests essential to the defeat of Saren. When they weren't battling all manner of enemy, Liara watched Shepard in the only way she knew how. Scientifically, a researcher studying an objective. She learned small things, like how when she smiled a dimple would appear on only her left cheek, or she would unintentionally raise an eyebrow when she studied something closely. She discovered bigger things. Shepard loved model ships, but had no place to store any should she purchase some. She preferred tea over coffee. And she visited Liara frequently, on an internal schedule, after every mission, whether Liara herself attended or not. It became a daily occurrence, and though at first the woman still scared Liara, the more they talked, the more she found herself relaxing and enjoying her company.

They talked in length about asari physiology and culture. Where most people be either bored or embarrassed, Shepard took it all in stride, eyes alert, happy at the thought of acquiring new knowledge. They talked about humanity, though Liara was shy at first, fearing she may unintentionally offend. But Shepard laughed at all of her questions in a way that wasn't condescending and answered them as best as shecould. Liara steered clear of mentions of Shepard's past, afraid of touching on a nerve, thoug she remained ever curious.

Today, they sat the table in the mess drinking tea Shepard had bought on their last trip to the Citadel. It was after dinner, and most of the crew was settling down either for sleep or the night shift. Liara ran a finger over the rim of her cup, contemplating her words. They were friends, right? Possibly more, but no, she was reading too far into that. It was rudimentary attraction on her part, nothing more. She spoke the words anyway, passing them off with a small laugh as if her heart hadn't lept into her throat after. "I used to be terrified of you, when I first met you. You were an unknown."

"I get that a lot. Everyone's intimidated by a woman who looks like she can benchpress an elcor." Shepard chuckled and took a drink.

"Your above average height and musculature is cause for caution," Liara conceded, thankful the woman took it so well.

Shepard nodded, then asked, "Are you still afraid?"

Liara swallowed, looked down at her tea, hesitant. Shepard nudged her foot under the table, and Liara sighed. "At times, yes." She admitted, but when Shepard's face fell, she quickly added, "B-but I was only afraid in the beginning because I misread you. You had unknown motives and reactions, I was unsure of your purpose." She reached out and laid her hand atop the Commander's, and the woman's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "I know now that you are a kind, gentle soul who would never harm me, and that my fears are unwarranted."

Shepard smiled, one of her genuine smiles that lit up her eyes and flashed that dimple, and Liara's stomach fluttered. Soon, she became aware that she was still holding fast to the soldier's hand and swiftly withdrew, a damnable blush creeping up her neck.

XXX

The first time Liara realizes that her feelings may be reciprocated is immediately following the death of her mother, or, what once was her mother. Though her feelings did slip through on occasion, she managed to keep a stoic mask in place for the duration of the mission. She skipped the debriefing and went straight to her room, only then letting the mask slip away. She didn't hear the door open, didn't notice another presence in the room until someone turned her around and she fell willing into Shepard's chest. Strong, steady arms wrapped protectively around her in infinite tenderness. Liara knew she should be strong, but falling apart around the Commander seemed so easy when she knew Shepard would put her back together.

She wasn't so much crying for the loss of her mother. Benezia had led a full, productive life, and would be forever remembered as she was before; kind and caring, swathed in yellow dresses, who would read to Liara when she was young. No, she cried for the lost time, because her final meeting with her mother had been in battle, and she never had the chance for a proper goodbye among a hailstorm of bullets and biotics.

Liara knew she lingered for far longer than she should, face against Shepard's chest, hands gripping the fabric of her shirt. But Shepard made no move to push her away, and if the situation was veering towards awkward territory, she didn't voice it. Eventually, she pulled away, just far enough to she could tilt her head back to meet Shepard's gaze. The look of absolute adoration, tenderness, even understanding in those hazel eyes made Liara's heart stop. The urge to kiss the woman welling within Liara's chest was startlingly strong, and when the Commander leaned down, Liara closed her eyes and stood, unsure, on the tips of her toes, waiting-

"Commander, the asari counselor would like to speak with you about Noveria."

The tension in the air was palpable as the Commander pulled away, coughed awkwardly into her hand. Liara stepped back, looked at anything but the Commander. Her heart-rate had picked up, and she tried to mask her quickened breath. She dared a glance at Shepard. The woman was rubbing her arm, a nervous tick, and she looked annoyed, furrowed brows and clenched jaw as she stared at the ceiling. She wanted that, then? That wasn't something humans did to cheer others up?

"Commander?" Joker asked over the intercom.

"I will speak to her in a moment."

"Roger that."

"He has, um, impeccable timing, Mr. Moreu." Liara said, daring to break the suffocating silence.

Shepard answered with an annoyed sound. She bid goodbye, promised to continue the conversation later, and exited the room. Liara's shoulder slumped and she fell back against a crate, one hand over her heart. She had kissed before, a few times, but the urges to kiss others had never been as strong as it had been mere moments ago. Liara had feelings for the Commander, had them since the beginning. At first, it was simply aesthetic appeal. The Commander was rather beautiful to her. Then her personality deepened the feeling, and now? Now it was a tangled mess of emotions Liara didn't want to begin to decipher. She thought it was a simple crush. That's all she'd ever had before. But the current ran deep if Liara felt an inevitable pull towards the woman, like an asteroid caught in her gravity.

The door the the room hissed open and Liara straightened, expecting Shepard. Instead, a curious D. Chakwas peered through. Liara followed her out until they were in the Medbay. "Is something wrong?" Liara asked, willing her voice to remain steady.

"I was curious, is all, as to what made Shepard leave your room looking so flustered. I've never seen her in such a state."

The indomitable Shepard? Flustered? Liara couldn't believe she had been the cause of this. It wasn't possible, was it? "I can't imagine what it could have been." Liara said after a moment, perhaps a moment too long.

Dr. Chakwas gave her a knowing look. She was a wise woman, for a human, had seen many thing throughout her lifetime. She had a grandmotherly air about her, and it was no secret she treated the crew like they were her children. It was one of the reasons Liara got along so well with her. "Love is a fickle thing," she said with a smile.

"Love?"

"Even in the midst of grave danger, it can find a way."

"Surely you cannot be insinuating that I am in love with the Commander." Liara said, too quickly, voice rising an octave. "I admire her, but she is simply a friend."

Dr. Chakwas only gave her the knowing look, and Liara felt like a schoolgirl caught passing notes. "I am only musing, my dear." She replied.

XXX

It wasn't until a few days later that Shepard was able to see her. The Commander had been swamped by missions, and had been scurrying all over the galaxy doing various tasks and tracking Saren and had to forgo her regular visits. When she was finally able to meet with Liara, it was rather by accident. While out, the Commander had been struck by a stray bullet while her shields were down, and the armor-piecing round punched straight through her N7 suit. Medigel slapped over the wound had staunched the bleeding and allowed them to return to the Normandy for further care. But seeing the Commander hobbling in, armor covered in blood made Liara's heart stop. She waited for what seemed like an appropriate amount of time before she went to the Medbay.

Relief washed through her. Shepard was lying on one of the beds, talking and laughing with Dr. Chakwas as a machine stitched up the cavern stretched across her left side. Her shirt was pulled up to the bottom of her breasts, revealing ever more tattoos that seemed to run across her chest and down her thighs. Liara had not been prepared for that. "Enjoying the show?" Shepard joked.

Liara stiffened, and Dr. Chakwas took this as her cue to leave, and bid them both farewell, stating that she would check up on Shepard later. Liara slowly made her way to the bed. "It's not as bad as it looks," Shepard said. "Just grazed my side."

Liara nodded mutely, transfixed not by the wound being woven back together, but by the interlocking pictures inked across the Commander's muscled stomach. There didn't seem to be any skin left untouched by an artist's needle. The canvas was filled. Shepard reached over to grab Liara's hand and she nearly jumped, tearing her gaze away from the soldier's stomach, sure her face was swiftly coloring, but the Commander paid no mind. "Listen, Liara, about the other day..."

This was it. Rejection. Liara knew what came next. She was just a friend. The Commander could have anyone she wanted at the drop of a hat, why should she fall for a shy bookworm like herself. Liara decided to beat her to the punch, get it over with once and for all and clear the air. Her heart could heal. "I understand, Commander. I was misreading our interactions, and it was presumptuous of me to assume that you reciprocated my feelings."

"What?" The Commander subconsciously tugged at Liara's hand, pulling her closer. "No. That wasn't what I was going to say at all. _I _was going to apologize for being so forward and assuming you reciprocated _my _feelings."

Why would Shepard need to assume? Her feelings for the Commander were the worst kept secret on the ship, much to her horror. Liara didn't realize she spoke the words aloud until Shepard said, "I don't put full stock in scuttlebutt. "

Then this was all a silly misunderstanding. Liara wanted to laugh, so she did, weeks of pent up anxiety melting away in seconds. Shepard joined in and pulled her down, put her free hand on the nape of her neck and tugged their grinning faces together. Liara melted into the kiss, the feeling on Shepard's lips moving against hers. Shepard released her hand and she braced herself on the bed, pulling back briefly for air before returning. Shepard smiled against her mouth, unable to contain herself. She shifted, tried to lean up to get a better angle, and the smile turned into a grimace accompanied by a small cry of pain as she aggravated her wound. Liara pulled back and Shepard shook her head. "Perhaps that could have been planned better."

"Well, there are no asari counselors to interrupt now that you are bedridden, so perhaps it's for the best."

"Just flesh wounds whose stitching I seem to have burst." Shepard's eyes flickered down to her side, where, sure enough, the meticulous stitches done by the machine had popped, a fresh wave of blood leaking out.

"I shall fetch Dr. Chakwas."

"After, though, would you like to have a chat in my office?"

Liara paused at the door, looking over her shoulder at the Commander's hopeful face, a broad smile stretched across it. "I'd love to."

XXX

Liara had searched a good portion of the area surrounding the port they docked in at the Citadel. She checked the Presidium first, for any word on Shepard. From there, she went through all logical places. Definitely not at the Consort's office. The waiting list stretched on for months, but Shepard had gotten in in minutes once, surely she could do it again now that she likely needed comfort. But upon further inspection, Liara learned that Shepard had not been there since the fist visit. So she crossed off that. The next logical jump was a bar. She searched upscale bars, and moved on to increasingly seedy ones. Yet no sign of the now illusive Commander. Nearly convinced she wouldn't find her, Liara decided to check out the gyms on a whim. Figuring Shepard would go for the least active gym available, Liara narrowed down her search to a small gym tucked away in the alley of one of the lower wards.

It seemed almost unoccupied, save for the grunts and the periodic sound of punches connecting with a punching bag coming from the back. And, sure enough, nestled away from the entrance and doing a number on the bag, was Shepard. The closer Liara came, the more she was able to see how worked up the Commander was. Every hit made her wince, and Liara wondered what a hit like that could do to a person without any protection. With power like that, it wouldn't be good. "Commander," Liara said as she moved towards Shepard in a slow fashion, as if she was approaching a cornered animal. No response. "Shepard," she tried, received a brief glance, but no other acknowledgment, just continued sounds of bone-breaking hits. "Danielle," Liara said, laying a hand on the soldier's arm. She'd never used the woman's first name before. It felt foreign on her tongue, like she had no place to speak it.

The muscles beneath Shepard's skin were coiled and bunched, wrought with tension. She pulled back her arm and Liara immediately backpedaled. Dormant fear that Shepard may harm her flared unwillingly in her stomach, but the blow was not aimed at her. Instead, Shepard's fist collided with the bag, sounding like a mortar hit, the force knocking the bag off its hinges, and sending it flying. Shepard exhaled heavily and went to retrieve it. "Why are you here, Liara?" The dismissive tone stung.

"I was worried about you, Shepard."

"I don't want to talk about it," she said brusquely, hefting the bag and setting it back where it belonged.

"I understand. I- I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Liara knew when she was not wanted, so she turned on her heels and walked away.

"Wait." The word traveled across the room and Liara froze, daring a look over her shoulder. Shepard wasn't looking at her, eyes focuses on the floor instead. "Stay. Please."

Liara nodded, though Shepard couldn't see, and took a seat near her. Some of the tension seemed to leave the Commander's body, and she wiped sweat off her brow before resuming her brutal beating on the bag. "This place is rather out of the way," Liara began, anything to break the near silence in the room. "One wouldn't see it if they didn't know it was there. Do you come here often?"

"No. I needed someone place quiet and away from everyone and I happened to find this. Up until this year, I'd never been to the Citadel."

"I've been here a few times. Mostly for supplies before an excavation. My mother took me here once, a long time ago." The thought of her mother brought an ache to her chest.

Shepard paused for a moment. "The lower wards remind me of Earth."

Liara blinked in surprise. Shepard never mentioned her life before joining the Alliance. "How so?"

"It's dirty and dark. It's the whole atmosphere, all the people society left behind. When I was a kid, living where the neon lights never quite reached, I'd always stare up at the buildings, and think to myself, 'I want to live there. Way up top.'" She laughed, and resumed. "Now I've been to the Presidium, seen luxuries, made a name for myself. I never thought I'd actually get here. Be able to live at the top of the tallest buildings... I never thought I would end up like this." Her voice softened. "Did I make the right choice?"

"There is no right or wrong choice, Shepard. You did what you could with the options you had. Nobody should ever have to make such a choice, but you did what you could. Chief Williams was closest, and you had a nuclear bomb that was counting down. You did what you had to do to save the most people."

"It could have been different! I should have been, I could have-"

"Could have done what, Shepard? You had no way of knowing how it would turn out."

"I know, I just- God dammit!" This time, the vicious punch didn't send the bag airborne, instead, it ruptured a hole in it, sending sand rushing out in a grainy river. "I've never lost anyone before, not until this whole thing started. First Jenkins, now Kaiden." Shepard looked at her hands, and Liara saw that they hadn't been wrapped. Her knuckles were bloody and raw, skin split, blood in varying stages of drying caked on. "I know this is war. And I know in war, people die, and we can't save them. I guess, ever since Elysium, I've had it in my mind that I can somehow save everyone. I've been a fool. And now someone is dead." Her smile was bitter. "Some soldier I am, living in a happy ending fantasy. Can't handle it now that everything's falling to pieces and I'm confronted with the hard choices."

"Reality is a bitter pill to swallow. But no one could have done better, Shepard. The weight of your choices would crush a lesser person, and it's terrible that you have to make them, but you are one of few people in existence who can. We couldn't have asked for a better leader."

Liara stood then, making her way over to Shepard and taking her hands. The woman still looked as if her very soul was bruised, but Liara knew that was something that would take time to heal, no matter what she said. But Shepard did turn her head to look at her, and her eyes were infinite, whole galaxies of emotions locked inside. It was the most vulnerable she had ever been, and Liara feared she would fumble with and drop the ball. "Sometimes I wish it didn't weight so much," Shepard whispered.

"So do I."

XXX

Liara knew now, what to make of the Commander. It had been only a short while that she had known her, but it felt like an asari lifetime. And she knew that she was irreversibly in love with her, a term Liara did not throw around lightly. She turned this thought over in her head as she traced the ink sprawling across the Commander's back. Ever since meeting her, Liara had always wanted to see every inch of tattooed skin, and now, with the final battle mere hours way, and the possibility that Shepard may not return from this, seemed as good a time as any. Shepard was on her side, facing away from her, giving Liara access, and though she hadn't moved in a while, Liara knew she wasn't asleep. Occasionally, her muscles would jump beneath her skin when Liara's fingers traced a particular colored line and sensitive skin.

In the beginning, Liara never imagined she would share her first joining with this woman, that she would be tracing tattoos along her naked body with the fate of the galaxy hanging on hinges above their heads. If someone had told her all of this would come to pass, and to top it all off, that she would be in love with her, Liara would have laughed. There would have been no way she'd end up in the bed and the heart of such an outwardly terrifying woman. But, looking back, it all seemed so inevitable. Shepard had a way of pulling people into her orbit, and Liara was not immune to her gravity.

"Had your fill?"

Shepard's voice startled her, pulling her out of her reverie. Liara's hand was covering the soldier's shoulder, fingers splayed, but hadn't moved. She resumed her exploration. "No, I was merely thinking."

"About?"

"Us. You."

"What about me?" Shepard asked. "My heavenly good looks? My perfectly sculpted body? The tasteful, meticulous artwork inked into my skin?"

Liara chuckled, responding with a shove. "No need to be narcissistic."

Shepard rolled over so she was face to face with Liara, their noses almost touching. "But I love it when you feed my vanity. If it was none of the above, then what was it?"

"I was thinking about the fact that I feel as if I've know you for an eternity. How I never imagined our relationship would end up like this."

"Bets started pretty early, y'know. How fast I'd get someone into bed with me." Shepard grinned.

"You just say these things," Liara said, pushing at her shoulders.

Shepard laughed a deep, throaty laugh and Liara joined in. "I understand, though, all jokes aside. When you first joined, you were terrified of me."

"Well, it helped that you were human, I suppose. If you were a krogan or a yagh I wouldn't have helped you."

"Big enough to terrify, but not big enough to be avoided?"

Liara nodded. "I'll admit you did seem fairly brutish, upon fist impressions. But I slowly saw that you had a kind soul, and I was drawn to that."

"Everyone says that. My size is a put off, but they're drawn to the fact that I am, and I quote, 'a big teddy bear'. Honest to god, someone actually said that to me."

Liara traced a finger across Shepard's collarbone, along a string of intertwining roses. "You have this air about you. It's magnetic. People are drawn to you. You can inspire crowds, rally people to your cause, sway nations..."

"Attract beautiful Prothean experts?" Shepard finished.

Liara flushed at that. "You can certainly get people to fall in love with you, of that I am sure."

Shepard shrugged. "It happens. Looks these good, it'd criminal if no one appreciated them."

"I'll count myself lucky that I can appreciate them up close, then. What do these roses mean?"

"Those? Those are black roses. They symbolize death, a farewell. They mark close friends I lost... I need to add to them."

Liara knew Virmire was still raw, and she did her best to skirt the subject. Now was not the time to bring it up again. She turned her attention elsewhere, to a dragon coiled around her forearm, if her limited knowledge of human mythological creature was correct. "And this?"

"Woah, slow down doctor."

"I am sorry, is that too personal?"

"Nah. I don't mind sharing. I love telling the stories behind the tats. But let's take it a day at a time, yeah?"

"A day at a time?" Liara repeated.

Shepard nodded. "An inquiry a day. I know you're worried I won't come back, and you want to burn everything about me into your memory. But I'll be back." She wrapped her arms around Liara and rolled onto her back, pulling Liara with her until she was resting a top her. "I promise."

Liara smiled faintly. She believed the Commander. The woman had a way of inspiring people with only her words. She would see her again tomorrow, and every day after. She pressed a kiss to one of the roses. "I'll hold you to it."

XXX

Liara's heart had never sunk lower into the pit of her stomach than it did when she pulled herself from the rubble and saw that the Commander was no where to be found. For a fight so intense, she was surprisingly unscathed. A few cuts a bruises, due more to collapsed beams and metal than battling the monster Saren had become. Beside her, Chief Williams was freeing herself from beneath a sheet of metal, and Liara went to help, lifting it off the soldier's legs with the help of biotics. When she looked into Ashley's eyes, an unspoken question passed between them, and Ashely shook her head. She hadn't seen Shepard since the collapse and the defeat of Sovereign.

Liara clenched her fists. She couldn't be gone so easily, could she? She promised. But even the mighty Commander Shepard could be crushed by inescapable rubble, tons of metal cracking her chest and splintering her skull. No armor or shields can protect from that. After everything that happened, she was felled by shrapnel and collateral damage? The universe was cruel indeed.

"You made it." Liara's head snapped up at the sound of another's voice. Captain Anderson was making his way up the steps, stepping around hunks of steel and panes of shattered glass. The relief in his face was evident. They'd been able to stop Sovereign before he could unleash the Reapers and unspeakable horror on the galaxy. As he neared, he looked over her shoulder, searching for the third member of their party. "Where's Shepard?"

Liara shook her head, unable to utter the words. Saying them aloud would make them true. Would banish Shepard from existence. Anderson's face fell, before he quickly steeled his emotions into a solid mask, the mask of a hardened soldier. He beckoned them, told them they should go seek medical attention. Liara reluctantly followed, and Ashley slung an arm over her shoulder, leaning on her for support as they walked towards the stairs.

"God damn rubble!" The exclamation was followed by a crash, the sound of breaking glass.

Liara spun around so fast she feared whiplash. The rubble was moving alright, something inside pushing it's way through twisted metal. Ashley immediately went for her pistol, ready to shoot at a moments notice should the person inside prove hostile. Liara's heart lept into her throat and she took a step forward. Whoever was under that rubble, they were moving closer. A panel at the edge of the pile shook, before it was kicked away. And there, standing irritated, but alive, was Shepard. She was bruised and bloody, had a rather intimidating shard of glass protruding from her shoulder, but she was alive. By the goddess, she was alive!

Liara ran to her, and Shepard gathered her into a hug, lifting her up and off the ground with a laugh that quickly turned into a cry of pain. "Ah, ouch, ouch." Shepard hissed, setting her down. "That shoulder wounds a bitch."

"Shepard, I thought-"

"I was dead? Hah, a few tons of rubble wasn't going to get me, not when I have a promise to keep and a beautiful person to come back to."

Liara stood on the tips of her toes and took hold of Shepard's collar and pulled her down into a searing kiss. Shoulder wound be damned! She didn't care that there was an audience, or that they had wounds that needed to be tended to. The woman who'd worked her way into her heart was alive and that was the only thing that mattered. She pulled away, Shepard herself looking a little dazed.

"Now, about that dragon."

**XXX**

**A/N:** This was supposed to be a short story but somehow it spanned 11 pages and almost 6,000 words.


End file.
